Clock apparatus



Feb. 1, 1966 1. SMITH 3,232,038

CLOCK APPARATUS Filed March 23, 1964 Irving Smith BY %%W/ Y ZQWMATTORNEY INVENTOR United States Patent 3,232,038 CLOCK APPARATUS IrvingSmith, Bronx, N.Y., assiguor to World Time Corporation, Kings County,N.Y. Filed Mar. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 353,898 Claims. (Cl. SS-42.5)

This invention relates generally to horological devices and moreparticularly to a geographical clock apparatus adapted to enable thesimultaneous observation of the correct time at various locationsthroughout the world, said clock being preferably of rectangularconfiguration and especially suitable for wall mounting in the manner ofa framed painting or photograph.

More specifically, an object of the instant invention is to provide acolorful mercator projection of the world, including representations ofland and water areas and selected geographic designations denotingspecific cities at different latitudes, substantially all of said citiesbeing spaced varying distances from the closest adjacent standard timezone boundary, each said city having a viewing Window immediatelyadjacent thereto wherethrough the particular time at said city may beobserved.

A further object of the present invention resides in the provision of aworld clock of the foregoing character wherein the local time is readilyreadable, is presented in relatively larger form than the timeindications relating to the specific cities, said local time beingobservable in a position remotely disposed with respect to said specificcities- Another object of this invention is to provide a world clockwherein the local time may be expediently corrected to coincidewith'time changes periodically instituted in accordance with theso-called daylight saving or summer time practice originally introducedin North America and now also use-d in Great Britain, said correctionbeing corrected without requiring any movement of the clock mechanism.

Another general object of the. present invention is to provide a deviceof the described character which is simple in structure, economical ofmanufacture, easily and quickly installed and highly effective in use. v

Other objects and advantages of the instant clock apparatus will be setforth in part hereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom, or maybe learned by practice of the invention, the same being realised andattained by means of the structure defined and pointed out in theappended claims.

The accompanying drawings referred to herein and constituting a parthereof, illustrate one embodiment of broken-away form, a reel mountedcontinuous belt strip 'member carrying time designations being showntherebeneath and in partially fragmented form, and a clock mechanism indriving engagement with the reel upon which said strip member ismounted;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional side elevation view of the clock apparatustaken along line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an illustration of the various selectable insert members andtheir respective view-through areas which enable correction of the localtime to standard or daylight saving time according to the time zone inwhich the clock apparatus is being utilized;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a segment of the map memberin theregion of the local-time viewing window portion, whereover an insertmember is partially positioned; and

FIGURE 5 is a view as shown in FIGURE 4, the insert member, however,having been entirely removed.

As is well known, the earth is divided into standard time zones, eachzone being 15 of longitude, or one hour of time, in Width, with thecenter of each zone an integral number of hours east or west ofGreenwich, England.

In Canada and the United States, five standard time zones are employed.These are known as Atlantic (Maritime), Eastern, Central, Mountain, andPacific, and

the centers of each are 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 hours west of Greenwich,respectively. The boundaries of each zone are not set along meridians oflongitude, but are determined by national, state, municipal, orcommercial convenience. In 1916 the aforementioned daylight saving orsummer time practice was introduced in North America. On this systemeach zone is shifted one hour toward Greenwich with Eastern DaylightTime being actually Atlantic Standard Time, Central Daylight Time beingEastern Standard Time, and so on across North America. A similar advanceof the clock is used in Great Britain. 7

In consonance with the foregoing, the present clock ap paratus enablesthe simultaneous observation of the correct time at different worldcities as delineated by the standardized timezones. Also affordedthereby is a local-time viewing window portion and means cooperativelyassociated therewith whereby compensation may be readily made forthe-aforestated daylight saving or summer time? practice.

Referring now in detail to the present preferred embodiment of theinvention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, FIGURES l and 2 showthe clock apparatus designated generally by numeral 1 in the positionsheretofore described. More specifically, the invention is comprised of arectangular frame housing having back wall 2, side walls 4, 4 and endwalls 6, 6, map member 8 being secured to said frame housing by glue,staples or other suitable manner and arranged in spaced, parallelrelation with respect to said back wall as shown in FIG- URE 2 of thedrawings. It will be appreciated that the map member ma? be formed ofany suitable material,

such as plastic, cardboard or the like and is rendered translucent oropaque by the map except at the time window viewing portions, to bedescribed hereinbelow, which are clear or which may consist of openingsthrough *the. map member. The map member is further defined by obverseand reverse surfaces 10 and 12, respectively,said

obverse surface including representations of land and water areas andspecific geographic designations, e.g., New York, Los Angeles, Caracasand Moscow, as shown, denoting specific ditferent cities at ditferentlatitudes,sub-

stantially all of said cities being spaced varying distances from theclosest adjacent standard time zone boundaries.

Time viewing window portions 14, referred to herein below, arepositioned upon said map member adjacently of said specific cities, thecorrect timeat each of'said cities being concurrently observable at saidwindow portions 14. Additionally to providing the times at saiddifferent cities, the present invention also provides'a' localtimeviewing window portion designated by numeral 16,

through area 28 provided thereon, each said areas being positioned onehour apart, respectively. Each said insert' member has. an. exteriorsurface 30 including geographic representations v of land and waterareas, these geographic representations being in corresponding alignmentwith the geographic representations surrounding local-time viewingwindow portion 16 and appearing on the obverse surface of said mapmember.

To-the end of retaining one of said insert members in overlyingsuperposed relation with respect to said localtime viewing windowportion, securing means 32 is provided upon the obverse surface of'saidmap member, said securing means eing comprised of upper and lowerspaced, parallel channel elements 34 and 36, respectively, said elementsbeing arranged to straddle said local-time viewing window portion asshown. It will be understood that the securing means herein shown anddescribed, While preferable, is not intended to preclude the use ofother suitable insert member securing embodiments considered within thecontemplation of the invention, such as, magnets, hooks, cementitiousadhesives, etc.

With reference now to FIGURE 4-, it will be seen that insert member 18is removably receivable within securing means 32, it being appreciatedthat insert members 2}), 2:2, 24 and 2 6 are each similarly receivabletherein as well, in view of their mutual identity of dimensions. Asaforestated, view-through areas 28 of said respective insert members areone hour apart, this being the only variation thereamong. Thisvariation, and the selection of the proper insert member for placementwithin said securing means, will permit expedient adjustment of thelocal-time observable at the local-time viewing window portion tocorrespond with the daylight saving or summer time being observed, e.g.,in the United States. More specifically, where Eastern Daylight SavingTime is being observed, insert member 18 will be inserted; if EasternStandard Time or Central Daylight Saving Time is, being observed, member20 will be used; if Central Standard Time or Mountain Daylight SavingTime is being observed, member 22 will be inserted; if Mountain StandardTime or- Pacific Daylight Saving Time is being observed, member 24 willbe inserted; and if Pacific Standard Time is being observed, insertmember 26 will be used.

Continuous belt strip member 38, characterized by a width substantiallyequal to the width of map member 8 is movably mounted within said framehousing and beneath said map member, approximately one half of theexternal surface of said strip member being juxtaposed against thereverse surface 12 of said map member at, any given time, portions ofsaid strip member being visible through said time viewing windowportions 14 and-:local-time viewing window portionof said map membet,Reels 40 and 42 having coaxial bearing stems 44 positioned endwisethereof are rotatably mounted within said frame housing intermediateback wall 2 and map member 8., said bearing stems being freelyjournalled within sockets provided as shown within side Walls 4, saidreels being accordingly disposed in mutually parallel relation andtransversely of said side walls. As shown in FIGURE 1- of the drawings,reel 40 is provided with sprocket ds peripherally and inwardly, of theends thereof, said sprockets being adapted to register with sprocketperforations 50 provided adjacently of the edges of said strip membenThus said strip member will orbit around both reels as shown by arrows51 of FIGURE 2.

I Arranged upon the external surface of said strip memheris. a pluralityof scaled elongated indicia bands 52 of twenty-fourhour time indicia,saidindicia being critically disaligned, shaded and arranged in themanner described in detail in my, United States Patent No. 3,002,337issued. October 3, 1961, which defines an embodiment of a cylindricalstrip member, the indicium of which, is substantially similar to thepresent strip member.

,Electric clock 54 which is driven by the usual synchronous electricmotor employed in electric clocks is mounted upon side wall 4 of saidframe housing as shown in FIG- aaoss URE 1. A drive shaft 56 extendsfrom the motor and projects into the housing. A gear 58 terminates thekinematic train and meshes with gear 68 which is secured coaxially ofreel 40. The clock 54- together with the kinematic gear trainterminating at said gear 58 constitute a twenty-four hour clockmechanism. The connection between the clock mechanism and the reelincludes a conventional friction clutch (not shown) so that the clockcan be set by manipulation of set shaft 62. Accordingly, the clockmechanism through engagement with reel 40, is coupled to said stripmember to thus occasion movement thereof.

As shown, the longitudinal axes of the bands of said strip member aredisposed in parallelism with respect to the direction of movement ofsaid strip member, said bands being spaced apart transversely of theirlongitudinal axes, each different band being registered with at least,

one different time viewing window portion and. each of said windowportions having a band registered therewith, each band having the timeindicia associated therewith so oriented with respect to the timeindicia of theother bands and to the associated viewing window portionsas to show by the time indicia of each such band the correct time foreach city at the respective viewing window portions immediately adjacentthereto.

A special band 64 of enlarged proportion relative to the size of bands52 is provided upon said strip member, said band 64 carrying local timeindicia, said indicia being observable through the view-through area 28provided upon said insert member. Band 64 is, as illustrated, parallelwith respect to plurality of bands 52 and is endowed with the structuralcharacteristics thereof with the exception of size, band 64 beingrelatively larger than bands 52 thereby facilitating the reading thereofandemphasizing the presence thereof.

Although the preferred embodiment of the clock apparatus has beendescribed, it will be understood that within the purview of thisinvention various changes may be made in the forms, details, proportionsand arrange ment of parts, the combination thereof and mode ofoperation, which generally stated consists in a device capable ofcarrying out the objects set forth, as disclosed and defined in theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A clock apparatus comprising in combination, a housing, a map memberpositioned across the breadth and width of said housing, said map memberhaving obverse and reverse surfaces, said obverse surface includingrepresentations of land and water areas and specific geographicdesignations denoting specific different cities at different latitudes,substantially all of said cities being spaced varying distances from theclosest adjacent standard time zone boundaries, said map member havingviewing window portions adjacently of said specific cities, and alocal-time viewing window portion situated remotely of said cities, aninsert member superposed with respect to said map member in the regionof said localtime viewing window portion, a selected portion of saidlocal-time viewing Window portion being visible through a view-througharea provided upon said insert member, securing means provided upon theobverse surface of said map member adjacently of said local-time viewingwindow portion, said insert member being removably receivable withinsaid securing means, a strip member characterized by a widthsubstantially equal to the width of said map member, a portion of onesurface of said strip member being juxtaposed against the reversesurface of said map member and visible through said viewing windowportions and local-time viewing window portion, respectively, meansmounting said strip member for movement with respect to said map memberwhereby th Surface of the former can move with respect to the reversesurface of the latter, a twenty-four hour clock mechanism and meanscoupling said mechanism to saidstrip member, said strip member having onsaid juxtaposed.

surface thereof a plurality of scaled elongated indicia bands oftwenty-four hour time indicia, the longitudinal axes of said bands beingdisposed in parallelism with respect to the direction of movement ofsaid strip member, said bands being spaced apart transversely of their1ongitudinal axes, each different band being registered with at leastone different viewing window portion and each of said window portionshaving a band registered therewith, each band having the time indiciaassociated therewith so oriented with respect to the time indicia of theother bands and to the associated viewing window portions as to show bythe time indicia of each such band the correct time for each city at therespective viewing window portions immediately adjacent thereto and -forthe local time observable through the view-through area provided uponsaid insert member.

2. A clock apparatus comprising in combination, a housing, a map memberpositioned across the breadth and width of said housing, said map memberhaving obverse and reverse surfaces, said obverse surface includingrepresentations of land and water areas and specific geographicdesignations denoting specific different cities at different latitudes,substantially all of said cities being spaced varying distances from theclosest adjacent standard time zone boundaries, said map member havingviewing window portions adjacently of said specific cities, and alocal-time viewing window portion situated remotely of said specificcities, an insert member slidably superposed with respect to said mapmember in the region of said local-time viewing window portion, saidinsert member having an exterior surface including geographicrepresentations of land and water areas, the geographic representationsbeing in corresponding alignment with the representations included uponthat portion of the obverse surface of said map member underlying saidinsert member, a selected portion of said local-time viewing windowportion being visible through a view-through area provided upon saidinsert member, securing means provided upon the obverse surface of saidmap member adjacently of said local-time viewing window portion, saidinsert member being removably receivable within said securing means, astrip member characterized by a width substantially equal to the Widthof said m-ap member, a portion of one surface of said strip member beingjuxtaposed against the reverse surface of said map member and visiblethrough said viewing window portions and local-time viewing windowportion, respectively, means mounting said strip member for movementwith respect to said map member whereby the surface of the former canmove with respect to the reverse surface of the latter, a t-wenty fourhour clock mechanism and means coupling said mechanism to said stripmember, said strip member having on said juxtaposed surface thereof aplurality of scaled elongated indicia bands of twenty-four hour timeindicia, the longitudinal axes of said bands being disposed inparallelism with respect to the direction of movement of said stripmember, said bands being spaced apart transversely of their longitudinalaxes, each different band being registered with at least one differentviewing window portion and each of said window portions having a bandregistered therewith, each band having the time indicia associatedtherewith so oriented with respect to the time indicia of the otherbands and to the associated viewing window portions as to show by thetime indicia of each such band the correct time for each city at therespective viewing window portions immediately adjacent thereto and forthe local time observable through the view-through area provided uponsaid insert member.

3. A clock apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said securing meansprovided upon the obverse surface of said map member is comprised ofupper and lower spaced, parallel channel elements, said elements beingarranged to straddle said local-time viewing wind-ow portion.

4. A clock apparatus comprising in combination, a frame housing ofrectangular configuration having back, side and end walls, a map membersecured to said frame housing and arranged in spaced, parallel relationwith respect to said back wall, said map member having obverse andreverse surfaces, said obverse surface including representations of landand water areas and specific geographic designations denoting specificdifferent cities at diiferent latitudes, substantially all of saidcities being spaced varying distances from the closest adjacent standardtime zone boundaries, said map member having viewing window portionsadjacently of said specific cities, and a local-time viewing windowportion situated remotely of said cities, an insert membersuperposedwith respect to said map member in the region of saidlocal-time viewing window portion, a selected portion of said local-timeviewing window portion being visible through a viewthrough area providedupon said insert member, securing means provided upon the obversesurface of said map member adjacently of said localtime view-ing windowport-ion, said insert member being removab-ly receivable within saidsecuring means, a continuous belt strip member having sprocketperforations adjacent at least one edge thereof, said strip member beingcharacterized by a width substantially equal to the width of said mapmember, a portion of one surface of said strip member being juxtaposedagainst the reverse surface of said map member and visible through saidviewing window portions and local-time viewing window portion,respectively, means mounting said strip member for movement with respectto said map member whereby the surface of the former can move withrespect to the reverse surface of the latter, a twenty-four hour clockmechanism and means coupling said mechanism to said strip member, saidstrip member having on said juxtaposed surface thereof a plurality ofscaled elongated indicia bands of twentyfour hour time indicia, thelongitudinal axes of said bands being disposed in parallelism withrespect to the direction of movement of said strip member, said bandsbeing spaced apart transversely of their longitudinal axes, eachdifferent band being registered with at least one diiferen-t viewingwindow portion and each of said window portions having a band registeredtherewith, each band having the time indicia associated therewith sooriented with respect to the time indicia of the other bands and to theassociated viewing window portion-s as to show by the time indicia ofeach such band the correct time for each city at the respective viewingwindow port-ions immediately adjacent thereto, and for the local timeobservable through the view-through area provided upon said insertmember.

5. A clock apparatus as set forth in claim 4 wherein the local-timeviewing window portion of said map member registers with at least fiveconsecutive hour indicia of the scaled elongated indicia band oftwenty-four hour time indicia in registry therewith.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,999,126 4/ 1935Gardner 58128 2,025,590 12/1935 Jaenichen et a1. 177--3-8 3,002,33710/1961 Smith 58-44 LEO SMILOW, Primary Examiner.

G. F. BAKER, Assistant Examiner.

1. A CLOCK APPARATUS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A HOUSING, A MAP MEMBERPOSITIONED ACROSS THE BREADTH AND WIDTH OF SAID HOUSING, SAID MAP MEMBERHAVING OBVERSE AND REVERSE SURFACES, SAID OBVERSE SURFACE INCLUDINGREPRESENTATIONS OF LAND AND WATER ARREAS AND SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHICDESIGNATIONS DENOTING SPECIFIC DIFFERENT CITIES AT DIFFERENT LATITUDES,SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF SAID CITIES BEING SPACED VARYING DISTANCES FROM THECLOSEST ADJACENT STANDARD TIME ZONE BOUNDARIES, SAID MAP MEMBER HAVINGVIEWING WINDOW PORTIONS ADJACENTLY OF SAID SPECIFIC CITIES, AND ALOCAL-TIME VIEWING WINDOW PORTION SITUATED REMOTELY OF SAID CITIES, ANINSERT MEMBER SUPERPOSED WITH RESPECT TO SAID MAP MEMBER IN THE REGIONOF SAID LOCALTIME VIEWING WINDOW PORTION, A SELECTED PORTION OF SAIDLOCAL-TIME VIEWING WINDOW PORTION BEING VISIBLE THROUGH A VIEW-THROUGHAREA PROVIDED UPON SAID INSERT MEMBER, SECURING MEANS PROVIDED UPON THEOBVERSE SURFACE OF SAID MAP MEMBER ADJACENTLY OF SAID LOCAL-TIME VIEWINGWINDOW PORTION, SAID INSERT MEMBER BEING REMOVABLY RECEIVABLE WITHINSAID SECURING MEANS, A STRIP MEMBER CHARACTERIZED BY A WIDTHSUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE WIDTH OF SAID MAP MEMBER, A PORTION OF ONESURFACE OF SAID STRIP MEMBER BEING JUXTAPOSED AGAINST THE REVERSESURFACE OF SAID MAP MEMBER AND VISIBLE THROUGH SAID VIEWING WINDOWPORTIONS AND LOCAL-TIME VIEWING WINDOW PORTION, RESPECTIVELY, MEANSMOUNTING SAID STRIP MEMBER FOR MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT TO SAID MAP MEMBERWHEREBY THE SURFACE OF THE FORMER CAN MOVE WITH RESPECT TO THE REVERSESURFACE OF THE LATTER, A TWENTY-FOUR HOUR CLOCK MECHANISM AND MEANSCOUPLING SAID MECHANISM TO SAID STRIP MEMBER, SAID STRIP MEMBER HAVINGON SAID JUXTAPOSED SURFACE THEREOF A PLURALITY OF SCALED ELONGATEDINDICIA BANDS OF TWENTY-FOUR HOUR TIME INDICIA, THE LONGITUDINAL AXES OFSAID BANDS BEING DISPOSED IN PARALLELISM WITH RESPECT TO THE DIRECTIONOF MOVEMENT OF SAID STRIP MEMBER, SAID BANDS BEING SPACED APARTTRANSVERSELY OF THEIR LONGITUDINAL AXES, EACH DIFFERENT BAND BEINGREGISTERED WITH AT LEAST ONE DIFFERENT VIEWING WINDOW PORTION AND EACHOF SAID WINDOW PORTIONS HAVING A BAND REGISTERED THEREWITH, SO ORIENTEDWITH RESPECT TO THE TIME INDICIA OF THE OTHER SO ORIENTED WITH RESPECTTO THE TIME INDICIA OF THE OTHER BANDS AND TO THE ASSOCIATED VIEWINGWINDOW PORTIONS AS TO SHOW BY THE TIME INDICIA OF EACH SUCH BAND THECORRECT TIME FOR EACH CITY AT THE RESEPCTIVE VIEWING WINDOW PORTIONSIMMEDIATELY ADJACENT THERETO AND FOR THE LOCAL TIME OBSERVABLE THROUGHTHE VIEW-THROUGH AREA PROVIDED UPON SAID INSERT MEMBER.